“It’s an honor. I’m very flattered to be nominated,” said Thornton after practice at Ristuccia Arena. “It’s great. This will be the only day I ever talk nicely about [the writers].”

As far as racking up 14 fighting majors and still showing the qualities that go with strong sportsmanship, Thornton’s reputation precedes him. He has never been disciplined by the NHL and has been known to adhere to “the code” when it comes to not hitting players when they’re not ready or when they’re down.

“Obviously I stick up for my teammates. I don’t think I’m a knucklehead when it comes to fighting,” Thornton said. “I think I’m pretty honest about it; abide by the rules. I think you can be a sportsman and still get the gloves off every now and again, I don’t know. There’s guys in this league that never fight that are definitely not sportsmen, so I think I go the other way.”

Thornton will be one of 30 nominees for the award. The entire PHWA will then vote on a national winner from among those 30.

On a RELATED note, though, I think Thornton exemplifies what true character in the game of hockey is all about. He plays hard 100% of the time on the ice, and not only is he a bruiser that can score at times, he does it all within the rule book. Congrats to Thornton for this and another great year with the Cuts for a Cause event.